Little Hen, a farm-to-table restaurant, will hopefully open by the end of July in Holly Springs.
The restaurant is the dream of husband-and-wife team Regan and Dawn Stachler. The couple, both 34, met in class at the French Culinary Institute in New York City. He grew up in Fort Myers Beach, Fla. She is originally from Singapore. He started working in restaurants at the age of 14. She is trained as a lawyer and currently does business litigation for a Cary lawfirm. In New York, he worked at Gramercy Tavern among other restaurants and she staged at Blue Hill, the farm-to-table mecca that he says is a model for Little Hen.(A stage in the culinary field is akin to an internship while in school.)
They moved to North Carolina in 2008, planning to eventually open their own restaurant. Stachler worked at Piedmont in Durham, and his wife went back to practicing law. Once Little Hen opens, he will work as the chef and she will work the front of the house and continue to work part-time for the lawfirm.
The couple has partnered with farmer Bobby Tucker of Okfuskee Farm in Siler City to provide meat and vegetables for the restaurant.
"Whatever they give me is what I'm going to put out," Regan Stachler says about his effort to support local farmers. "My menu will change - in some parts - daily."
The 70-seat restaurant will be located at 5160 Sunset Lake Road, Holly Springs, near Archibald's Tavern.
Check out the website to see the menu and other details: www.littlehennc.com
